Ravens tight end Nick Boyle has been suspended by the NFL for the first 10 games of the 2016 season for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing substances.
This is Boyle's second offense in his young career, resulting in a stiffer punishment.
Boyle was suspended for the final four games of his rookie season for the same reason.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Delaware product was impressive in flashes last year. The fifth-round pick caught 18 passes for 153 yards and was a strong blocker.
However, Boyle's second suspension clouds his future and makes tight end more of a need for the Ravens this offseason. Baltimore seemed set at the position with Crockett Gillmore, Maxx Williams and Boyle.
After Boyle was suspended last year, Head Coach John Harbaugh did not give specifics on what caused the failed test. There is no indication on the cause of the most recent incident.
"I can tell you this: it wasn’t like steroids or anything like that," Harbaugh said in December. "When I first heard about it, that was my first thought, 'Man, I hope it's not something like that.' It's nothing like that.
"It's pretty common. It's what you read about all the time with guys. I don't think he realized that it was something he shouldn't be doing. Or if he did, he didn't think it through."
If Boyle were to violate the PEDs policy a third time, NFL rules state it would result in at least a two-year suspension.
